#i think the ref pics are a lot easier and more interesting to find than for my other AUs

[skitskatdacat63]

More matador!Fernando! Ferrari this time :D (I can't help myself.....)

- facial hair

+ closeups

I really wanted the vibe of this Nando pic, I think I did pretty well??

[parkissat]

My Art Process (sort of, for painterly portraits)

So a long time ago @iartsometimes asked me if I could make a post about my art process and here it is finally! I'm not really sure how to explain it in an accurate or interesting way since a) I didn't save as many progress pics as I should have and b) my process isn't always exactly the same every time, but I'll do my best to describe the main ways in which I make this sort of art most of the time. And I'm using the process for this drawing as example.

This was a relatively very quick one so it's not as detailed as some others but the basic principles still apply. For practically all my art on this blog I was using at least a couple of different brushes but nowadays I'm only using one of those, set at 50% oppacity. I always start by just filling in the background with the main color that stands out to me from the bg of the ref itself, and then I lay down some more basic big blotches of color here and there to get a sense of the overall colors and values (light and dark areas).

It doesn't have to be totally accurate to the ref but I just take my cues from there so it fits well in the end and also because I don't like to start drawing on a blank/white canvass.

Then on a separate layer I just start blocking a general shape of whatever part of the subject grabs my attention the most, so sometimes I might actually start with the clothes if it's a bigger area of solid color, or the hair, but in this case it was the face. And again I just pick a main color to start blocking and then keep blocking dark areas to start getting the shapes before eventually moving on to highlights and other colors (like warm and cold tones).

I never sketch with this kind of drawing where I'm using a ref and find it easier to just paint and slowly make out the shapes and build the details, and I prefer doing it on one layer or as few layers as possible that I'll end up combining into one.

Sometimes I block out the whole overall shape before starting to add the inner shapes and details but in this case for some reason I just felt more like doing it part by part so I did a lot of work on just the head for a while, and then the shirt, and then the jacket, and then the cigarette, but kept going back and forth to all those parts to add and adjust more little details. While I'm doing this I'll often also resize the drawing at least once or twice and move it to where I want.

I usually make colors by just changing them however I need from some color I already put down in the bg or some other part of the painting. Something I really like is color contrast so I often like exaggerating little blocks of warm and cold tones, and I also love just leaving things looking a bit rough around the edges with visible brushstrokes.

So after these one I didn't save any more progress pics I think. I just finished some details everywhere like the top hair, the print on his shirt, some stuff on the jacket and probably his face too. I'm never really completely done with any particular part of a drawing until I decide I'm done with the whole thing.

And then another thing I always do, sometimes during the process of the rest of the painting but other times, like in this case, after I finish the subject, is that I add more detail to the background. I do this on a separate layer and usually it's just adding more colors to make it all flow better with the rest of the drawing, fix anything with the values, and just add some random spots of contrasting colors to make it more interesting by making some big brustrokes and then partially erasing them (though I didn't add the smaller spots so much in this case and left it at bigger adjustments).

After that the only thing left is that I almost always adjust the final colors in all the layers (I usually end up with about 3-5 layers) to make them a bit more intense. Usually I like to make the midtones warmer by increasing the reds or magentas, I make the shadows more blueish, and the highlights more yellow.

Not sure if I mentioned everything I do or if it was cohesive and interesting but yeah I think these are the main "steps" or elements about my portrait painting process. In general, I prefer painting without sketching, focusing on the bigger picture rather than details, leaving things kinda rough and having visible brushstrokes, and play around with bright colors and exaggerated color contrast. And finally here's a little progress gif of all the images above plus the final drawing where you can kinda see it coming together.

Thanks for reading! And thanks Tanya for asking about this!! Hope it was the sort of thing you had in mind XD

[zombieplaguedoc]

Yep, two kisekae pics in one day. I normally don’t do redesigns (unless it’s for an already existing character but even then that’s rare), but I figured since I already redesigned Johnny and Jillian, why not do the rest of the Test gang? 

I did this a while back and this took me three fucking days to make, and most of those days were spent on the outfits and Sissy’s hair (which was an absolute nightmare to create). Probably the worst was Sissy’s hair, since I knew I wanted her to have a mohawk but I never actually made one in Kisekae before, so yeah, that was a lot of frustration, and I would not do it again. Overall, though, I really like how these came out, and I really enjoyed making Susan’s outfit (though, coming up with it was a pain), and I especially love how Mary came out. Hard to say which one is my favorite, but I’d have to say it’s a tie between Susan, Mary, Sissy, Bumper, and Brainfreezer. Honestly, I’m just glad to post these and that these are done.

So, going from left to right and starting with her, Susan Test is pastel goth. I’m not entirely familiar with the pastel goth scene, so coming up with a look for her was hard. So I took some inspiration from these as well as some pictures on the Internet and came up with a decent look for her. Her makeup was the hardest out of all that, especially her lipstick. I really love how she came out too. As for why she decided to rebel, while she wasn’t completely bad, she definitely contributed to Johnny’s situation. She always felt bad afterwards, but she didn’t stop until she noticed Johnny’s eye bags. That was a huge kick in the pants for her and she decided to go easy on him a bit, and not bug him so much, which her sister and parents noticed. She also decided to spend some time out of the lab to get away from Mary, which meant she had a lot of free time now. One day, she saw a pastel goth boy walking around, asked him about his look, and they got to chatting which was how she was introduced to the pastel goth scene. As time went on, she thought about how badly she treated Johnny and contributed to his state, and grew to detest her parents and her sister for their treatment of him. So she decided to try and break away from that shit and began exploring the world of pastel goth as a means of finding her own identity, which is how she got to where she is now. She’s definitely a lot nicer now, and is trying to reign in her anger. She still enjoys science, she just has other interests now, including anime, ceramics, Falling In Reverse, and fanfiction. 

Mary Test is I believe grunge goth. Her outfit was another hard one to come up with, because I didn’t have a general idea of what I wanted her to wear. Unlike with Susan, who I wanted to wear a fluffy skirt and knew this beforehand, I didn't really think about what I wanted Mary to wear; all I knew was I wanted her to be some kind of goth. So I took to the Internet for inspiration and came up with a relatively good look for her. I also listened to some 69 Eyes and a bit of Breaking Benjamin as I was working on her, so that helped. If I’m being honest, she actually strikes me more as a nu metaler than a goth. Still though, love how she came out, even if her outfit was a bit of a hassle to come up with.

Sissy is punk. Now Sissy was definitely the hardest to create, mostly because of her hair. While it did help that I knew ahead of time that I wanted her to have a Mohawk, I’ve also never did one in Kisekae before (they do have a Mohawk hair option, it just wasn’t what I wanted for her). So I had to do some digging on DeviantART and the Internet for a reference pic until I found a Mohawk I liked, (it’s not the actual picture I used, but it’s pretty close) and a good Kisekae picture of a character with a Mohawk so I could see what hair pieces to use. Even with that, however, it was still really complicated, and there was a lot of trial and error involved in making the Mohawk like the one in the ref I used. Eventually, after a lot of staring down at the screen and anger and frustration, Sissy’s hair was done, though I would not (and will not) do it again. Her outfit was also a pain, since I wanted to incorporate some of Sissy’s original elements in it so people would recognize her, but not as bad as her hair. I also wanted to give her some sneaker boots, but I didn’t know how to do that in Kisekae, so I turned to this so I would how to make them in the future, but the guy who made the export said they were proprietary, so...yeah. They still look relatively the same though. In the end, I am actually really happy with the end result, so all that frustration wasn’t in vain.

Bumper is power metaler. Believe it or not, he was actually the easiest one to make since power metal fashion is relatively simple. I also went off of this for help. The only hard part was his facial hair. I was originally gonna make Bumper a nu metaler, but then for some reason I decided on power metal. The only downside is he kind of looks like a ginger Skwisgaar Skwigelf. On the other hand, look at that long flowing hair, god it’s glorious. 😩👌 And yes, he did lose weight and hit a growth spurt.

Bling Bling Boy, or Eugene, is classic heavy metaler. I think. He was another easy one to make because I knew ahead of time that I wanted him to have attire similar to Judas Priest or what Rob Halford wears and wore when he was younger. Nothing too complicated, just looked up some pictures of Judas Priest for a better idea and I was good to go. And yes, like Bumper, Bling Bling Boy lost some weight.

Last but not least, Brainfreezer is goth. I knew ahead of time that I wanted him to be goth, and I was originally gonna use his original goth outfit from Johnnycicle, but then I decided to spare myself the migraine and give him a more original look. I decided to go for a more Victorian style goth combined with bits of modern goth to create this, and while I did have a hard time coming up with he outfit, it was still easier than if I had stuck with his original one. I also gave him black to seal the look and a snowflake necklace so people would still recognize him. 

In the end, I’m glad these came out well and hopefully you guys like them too.

The sneaker boots used in Sissy’s outfit belong to Meet-The-Real-Me on DeviantART

The jean tear that’s used in Sissy’s outfit belongs to Idessa on DeviantART

The leather jacket that’s used in Bling Bling Boy and Brainfreezer’s outfits belongs to SoullessIceDreamer on DeviantART.

[yoharimikumalovelive-blog]

A guide on how to trade bromides/生写真 (Aqours, 48/46 group)

I decided to make this guide since the creation of Love Live bromides. This concept may be new to some of you but this has been something that has been a long staple and a huge money maker or 3d idols for many years. In this guide I’ll try my best to explain how trading works and how to do well and maybe even make money if you decide you want to sell. When you buy pictures, especially at a 48/46 group event the lineups take a long time so plan your whole day around trading. When you first start looking into buying pictures sets in used stores or online it may be odd that pictures are more than 300 yen each but you’ll become accustom to it when you’re favorite girl’s pictures are always 1000-1500yen each and you really want it. 

 Things that you’ll need

 The first and most important thing that you need when trading picture is knowledge of the group’s pictures that you are trading. If you are new to a group, or maybe you have listened to their music but don’t have a good grasp on members faces and names it may not be a good idea to jump right in and start trading, unless you don’t mind loosing strong members and missing your chance to get the members you really want.

An example of this would be, since I would assume most people reading this are familiar with Love Live, a member like Watanabe You. You is a strong member, when you look at the price of her goods in a second hand store you find that her price is much higher when compared to say a member like Mari. The same goes for pictures, Shuka is a popular member while Ainya is not as popular. Shuka has a higher value and therefore would be easier to trade for someone like Aikyan, however finding someone who would trade an Ainya picture for an Aikyan picture will be a much more grueling task than just trading a Shuka. Usually you aim to trade members who are the same level in strength/popularity instead of trading down. In some cases, depending on how die hard the fan is you maybe able to get someone like a Rikako and an Ainya for 1 Shuka.

If you ever traded cards as a kid it’s basically the same idea.

When it comes to bigger groups, such as the 48 and 46 groups where there are a lot of members this maybe hard. However, I would learn who the lower members are who the top members are and trade accordingly. But of course it’s a lot easier when you know all the members names and nicknames so you can make your trading experience much easier especially if you don’t speak Japanese.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to trade down, I’m just saying it might not be in your best interests.

  The second thing that I would suggest would be to get a photo album. The one that I would suggest is https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00LL40J3M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Most of the time the picture sets come as a set of 3. Have a photo album that can hold 3 pictures in a row just makes it look more attractive and also makes it easier to remember what you have and don’t have while trading.

 The final thing would be plastic sleeves. These aren’t that important, especially if you have a photo album. But when trading in groups like with the 48/46 groups, most traders would prefer to trade with people who protect the pictures so that they can sell the pictures for more money. I usually buy my picture sleeves at Deranannan. They’re found in Akiba and in Namba but in a hidden places that you may not think to go into. They also do not display the fact that they have sleeves so you’ll have to ask one of the people that work there for sleeves. They offer 2 sizes 90 and 91, I prefer 91 since it is a bit looser and easier to get the pictures into it. They also offer hard shell cases for those special pics that you want to always carry around with you. Just ask for 硬質ケース( koushitsu kessu).

 Terminology/ organization

 There isn’t that much terminology and for each group it varies. The most important thing to know is the name of the sets that you have. On each of the bromides that you have there is a certain set that it came from. These are usually written on the bottom of the picture. This makes it easier to distinguish between sets, especially if there are more than one set being sold at the venue, it also makes it easier to ask for older sets. For example, if you want a picture of Okada Nana (AKB 48 Team 4/ STU) from the January 2017 theatre number 1, but you’re at an event in October then you’re going to have to ask around to see if anyone has that picture set because it probably won’t be what most people are trading. However, for example at Takahashi Minami’s Graduation concert (AKB48) they had three different picture sets. So people were asking around for certain sets because they don’t want to trade with a picture not from the same set.

 Picture terms. (Mainly 46/48 except NMB)

ヨリ(yori) = close up of the member’s face

チュウ (chuu) =waist up

ヒキ( hiki) = full body

座り(suwari) = the member is squatting or sitting down(uncommon and I’ve only seen them in Nogizaka)

壁 (Kabe) = the member is leaning against a wall (uncommon and I’ve only seen them in Nogizaka)

 NMB imposes a different and much easier system to ask for specific pictures from a set. Each picture is either labeled A, B, C. A = yori, B = chuu, C = hiki.

 For the newest Aqours pictures they were devided into 3 types.

Seifuku = uniform

Koi = knna

Mijuku = mijuku dreamer.

 In these sets pictures hold different weight, however for the most part most people don’t really worry about it. For pictures the order is . 壁、座り、ヨリ and then ヒキ and チュウ tend to be fairly equal. 壁 for Nogizaka is probably the rarest and most sought after picture. Usually it goes for 2X the price of ヨリ、チュウ、ヒキ combined. For instance if a picture set for the first 3 cost 300 yen then 壁 might go for about 600-900. There is not set rule.   For Aqours KNNA seemed to be the most popular picture, though it was still fairly balanced across the board.

 誰推し (dare Oshi) = who’s you’re favorite member.

誰探している (Dare sagashiteiru) or some variation = who are you looking for.

誰集めている (Dare atsumetiru) = who are you collecting.

０００があります(000 ga arimasu) = do you have…

 These are things that you’ll probably get asked, or if you want to ask if someone has something.

 どこ国 (doko kuni) どこ出身ですか (doko shuusshin desuka) = where are you from

 If you’re a foreigner and look it…you’ll probably get asked this question a lot.

 Trading tips.

 You don’t actually have to speak Japanese, although speaking Japanese is recommended since it makes communication and making deals easier.

 The more you spend the better chance you have of being able to trade for your favorite member. But always have a limit to how much you spend. Don’t forget they’re only pictures, unless you’re a Nishino Nanase fan then…gg

·         If you don’t want to speak, or if you don’t know how to use Japanese walk around with your cards out to show people what you have. If you look like a foreigner they’ll probably be scared to approach you as it is and they don’t want to use English. This makes it easier on the both of you.

·         If you do use the above mentioned technique it would be advisable to have your strongest card showing so more people approach you and you have an easier time trading.

·         You have more power if you are asked instead of being the asker. If you are asked then the other party must be looking for something which obviously gives you more power when it comes to trading. In this case the person may be desperate and you may be able to gain a stronger or a member you want.

·         Try to trade with the people walking around, not those sitting. Those walking around are more casual. Those who are sitting tend to be the people who have spent 50k-100k yen on pictures and are trying to collect as many strong cards as possible to make a profit. Contrary to the rule above, these people will probably ask what you’re looking for and since they know they have it they’ll try and take the strongest card possible from you when trading.

·         Go with friends. It’s easier to trade with them because you know their favorite members and are more likely to get your favorite members because you’re friends and that’s what friends do…I guess.

·         Try and trade in the same set. Most traders do not like to trade outside of sets.

·         When buying sets try not to buy ones with the members in their normal uniforms if there are other sets available. These sets tend to have less value than the other sets, but they cost the same amount of money initially.

Some people write down on white boards who they are looking for, it’ll be easier to trade with the people.

If you plan on buying pictures in stores it would advisable for you to know the average price of the pictures on the market and also don’t blindly spend money....unless you have a lot of money to burn. 

 That’s about all there is to it. Just go out there walk around and hopefully you’ll be able to get the members you’re looking for.

If you have any questions just ask.

2017-11-07